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Jefferson County makes additional ambulance service decisions

By Toni Milbourne - For the Chronicle | Jul 15, 2022

An ambulance currently run out of the Blue Ridge Mountain Volunteer Fire Department will no longer run out of that station in the county’s plan to take over ambulance service in Jefferson County. Ambulance service for the mountain will instead be housed at Citizens Fire Company on Route 340. Toni Milbourne

CHARLES TOWN — Despite canceling their regularly scheduled Thursday meeting due to the July 4 holiday week, Jefferson County Commission held a special meeting on Friday to move forward with plans for county-run ambulance service. Commissioners have been pushing for a county-wide ambulance service that will be under their control for several months, and decisions made Friday take them one step closer to that goal.

Earlier this spring, the county tasked county administrator John Nissel with multiple assignments moving toward the purchase of ambulances, the securement of space to house those vehicles and licenses to allow the ambulance service to move from a volunteer basis to a completely county-run system.

During Friday’s meeting, the commissioners considered several steps toward their “work-in-progress” goal. A motion was made to hire a public relations firm to educate the public on the county’s actions. Administrative assistant Jessica Carroll explained to commissioners the importance of hiring such a firm.

“The intention is to maximize public information and be totally transparent and to establish engagement,” Carroll said. “It can be difficult for the lay person to understand.”

Finance director Michelle Gordon indicated that a request for proposal had been advertised and two companies responded. The suggested company, Engage, is who county staff recommended for the job, with a cost of approximately $125 per hour.

“It is estimated that it will take about six to nine months at a cost of not more than $100,000,” Gordon said, adding that she recommended the top amount be set at the $100,000 level.

Gordon went on to say that the cost of the firm could not be taken out of ARPA funds, of which the county has set aside $5.5 million toward their ambulance project, so the amount would have to come from the general fund.

Commissioners Tricia Jackson and Clare Ath had reservations about spending that amount of money on the public relations firm.

“It makes me a little uncomfortable,” Jackson said.

Nissel explained that it is common to hire public relations firms for projects like this.

“We don’t have the time or the expertise to do this piece,” Nissel said. “But it’s an important piece that needs to be done.”

Jackson moved to hire the firm but to cap their cost at $40,000 over three months and then to reevaluate the need for additional spending.

The group then moved into executive session, closed to the public, to discuss the possibility of changing the designation of the Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency from a board-run quasi-governmental unit to a county department under the control of the commission. Following the nearly hour-long closed session, county attorney Nathan Cochran outlined benefits and disadvantages of the possible change. Advantages of making the entity a county department included allowing the county to have complete supervision over the staff and operations and to have financial control. Disadvantages included that the county may have more hoops through which to jump to obtain licenses that the agency currently has under its board leadership. Another disadvantage Cochran outlined was additional workload for county administrative staff.

Commissioner Steve Stolipher questioned whether EMTs would still be able to run fire calls if the agency was transformed into a county department. Cochran did not have the answer and said it would depend upon the State Fire Commission.

Jackson indicated that the current JCESA runs very smoothly.

“Maybe reinventing the wheel to try to make it a department will create unnecessary disruption,” Jackson said.

Stolipher, however, expressed his desire to have additional information, specifically from the state, that would allow the change to move forward in making the agency a county department.

The final action taken by the commissioners came after a presentation by JCESA director Bob Burner outlining a plan for ambulances to be placed at four fire stations in the county, Harpers Ferry, Citizens, Shepherdstown and Independent. There would be six ambulances staffed during daytime hours and five staffed overnight.

Gordon presented multiple funding explanations and scenarios to allow the county to pay for the plan, including using ARPA funding for the additional hires until the funding ran out. At that point, she said, the county would have to have in place the dollars to cover what the federal funds had initially paid. She also outlined that in addition to the cost of the additional personnel, the county would take on the cost of fuel, maintenance, licenses and supplies for the ambulances – something the volunteer companies currently pay.

Stolipher made a motion to approve the model presented by Burner, which also included the hire of 12 additional staff members.

“I like the plan,” said Commissioner Jane Tabb. “But, I think it is premature to pass it today. We need to plan our framework first along with the operational structure,” Tabb said.

Jackson, who had seconded Stolipher’s motion, stressed that “It is just a plan–a piece in the puzzle.”

The two did agree to an amended their motion and second to move ahead with the plan contingent upon the county first securing ambulances, cost-share agreements for the usage of space to house the ambulances and the creation of an organizational structure. The amended motion passed unanimously.